Depressants Like many drugs, depressants have many risks and effects that can harm you. A depressant is a chemical substance or drug that makes a body’s system less active. It calms a person’s nerves and relaxes their muscles. Depressants are drugs that stop the proper function of the central nervous system. They are bright coloured tablets or capsules that are legally available from your doctor for medical reasons. Some prescribed reasons are anxiety, sleep problems, acute agitation, and pain and muscle spasms. Some depressants can also be illegally obtained and you can get arrested. Unfortunately depressants can be overused or abused by people and become very addictive. Depressants also called “downers” are one of the most widely …show more content…
used drugs in the world. There are many names for the drugs, and sometimes people get confused and they take the wrong one. That when things go really down hill. Risks of Depressants: There are many risks when using depressants, the risks depend on which drug you are using.
If you are using alcohol the risk consist of Anemia, cancer, cardiovascular disease, Cirrhosis, depression, seizures, gout, high blood pressure, nerve damage, pancreatitis and liver damage. Benzodiazephine: This drug creates anxiety disorders, insomnia, seizures Alcohol withdrawal, panic attacks and addiction. This drug also relaxes your body. Barbiturate: This drug causes drowsiness, dependence on drug, depression, peripheral nervous system depression and attacks on the enzymes in your liver. Cravings for the drug, yawning, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea stomach and muscle cramps, irritability, depression, insomnia and agitation. Opiates: Opiates are found in opium poppies. The major opiates found in opium are morphine, codeine, thebaine, and papaverine. The semi-synthetic drugs are heroin, oxycodone, and hydrocodone. Opiates can be injected, snorted, or smoked. “The short-term effect of opiate abuse consists of a surge of euphoria coupled with a warm flushing of the skin, dry mouth, and heavy extremities. Following initial euphoria” Tranquilizers: are used to treat anxiety or problems with sleep. They have a calming effect by depressing the nervous system similar in the way of alcohol. They are the most commonly prescribed psychiatric medications. This drug produces a relaxing and anxiety-reducing …show more content…
effect. Antidepressants: They are prescribed mostly by doctors, but are also sold on the streets. They do not work for all people but most. People use them because depression is hard to go through alone because the first step is a mountain and the step down is a cliff. Effects of Depressants: There are many short term and long term effects. Some examples of short term effects are: Slow brain function Slowed pulse and breathing Poor concentration Confusion Fatigue Dizziness Depression Addiction Lowered blood pressure Slurred speech Fever Sluggishness Visual disturbances Dilated pupils Lack of coordination Difficulty urinating Depressants also lower your serotonin level and by therefore blocking the reabsorption into the cells. Tolerance to depressants can develop rapidly, with larger dosages to achieve the same effect. The more dependant you become the harder it is to quit and that is how people become addicts. When your body starts to tolerate a drug, you start to need higher dosages. Higher dosages could cause impairment, coordination issues, memory loss, paranoia, irritability and suicidal thoughts. Some of these effects are very hard to get rid of and some are easy. Effects of some depressants stay with you for a long time. For example, addiction is very hard to get rid of and slow brain function. Depending on the person the effect may ware off or stay a little longer. The consequence of depressants: With continued use of depressants the body will develop a tolerance for the drugs, requiring larger doses to achieve the initial effects. When use is reduced or stopped, withdrawal will occur due to the reuse of brain activity, potentially leading to seizures and other harmful consequences. One of the worse consequences would be your families disappointment, other than suicide and death. Some examples of long term effects of depressants are: Tolerance to many depressants can cause a person to need larger doses to fulfill their needs. May result in death or coma when taking large doses Depression Breathing difficulties Sexual problems Constant fatigue Sleep difficulties Anxiety Panic attacks Cravings Increase risk for diabetes High blood sugar Weight gain For high dose users: High body temperatures Hallucinations Agitation Convulsions Delirium Possible Death from withdrawal Drugs that fall under the depressant category: Cannabis GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate) Inhalants Heroin Morphine Codeine Methadone Buprenorphine Pethidine Benzodiazepines Dilaudid Kapanol Definition of Depressant: Drugs that prevent the function of the central nervous system and makes a body’s systems less active. This leads to symptoms like drowsiness, relaxation, decreased inhibition, sleep, coma and even death. Where can you get depressants: You can get depressants prescribed by a doctor, over the counter at a pharmacy (but not the real thing) or illegally on the streets. Street Names for Depressants: Barbs Candy Downers Phennies Reds Red birds Goofballs Blue devils Yellow jackets Ludes The most common names for depressants are ludes, downers and blue devils.
There are many risks of street drugs. Street drugs are very dangerous, because the manufactures of the drug try to make it cheap, so the ingredients could be very dangerous. Depressants are normally synthetic. Certain depressants are prescribed by doctors, while others are illegally or legally given or bought. Depressants~ Depressants can be very useful for some people but, others it does not help. We can use depressants to help depression, anxiety, sleep issues, and many more. There is also a consequence if we misuse them. The consequence could be anything even your life. So it’s important to not abuse drugs because they have a mind of their own. What do some depressants do to your brain: The chemicals in the depressants run through blood and because blood goes all over your body the chemicals go through the brain and the heart. Alcohol can pass through the blood-brain barrier, reaching neurones directly. Once alcohol touches these cells, they are changed, resulting in changes in behaviour... Some depressants cause heart problems and once you have heart problems there is not much you can do. You can get doctor help, stay healthy but that problem will never fully go
away.
... side effects such as analgesia, alteration in mood and drowsiness can occur. Fentanyl depresses the respiratory centres and the cough reflexes in addition to restricting the pupils. Analgesic blood concentration of fentanyl can cause nausea and vomiting due to stimulation of the chemoreceptor trigger zone.5
Some of the known side effects of GHB involve intoxication, talking, increased energy, happiness, desire to socialize, sensuality, possible nausea, enhanced sexual experience, feeling playful or affectionate, loss of gag reflex, loss of coordination due to loss of muscle tone, mild disinhibition, or the feeling of freedom; exposure, delusions, depression, dizziness, hallucinations, seizures, low blood pressure, slowed heart rate, or difficulty concentrating. Some of the more serious effects include amnesia, vomiting, respiratory problems, loss of conscienceness, being conscience but unable to move, rambling incoherent speech, sedation, disinhibition, giddiness, silliness, desire to sleep, passing out, and death, especially when GHB is mixed with alcohol or other drugs!
Treating depressive and bipolar disorders with antidepressants remains a popular option in clinical practice. Most clinicians choose the drug or class of drugs, usually selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRI's, that is most effective and best tolerated with fewer severe side effects. These drugs are beneficial because they specifically target serotonin-based areas of the brain without affecting other neurotransmitter systems. SSRI's largely replaced tricyclic antidepressants which work by blocking the absorption (reuptake) of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, thereby increasing the levels of these two neurotransmitters in the brain. Tricyclic antidepressants present severe side effects and thus are usually only used when other treatments have failed. If SSRI's or tricyclics are not effective Monoamine oxidase inhibitors may be prescribed. MAOI's, enhance tyramine to increase norepinephrine and serotonin. While taking MAOI's you must abstain from foods and alcohol that contain tyramine such as, yogurt, aged cheese, and substances such as cold medications. This is because a potential toxic reaction could occur. Additionally, other antidepressants may be utilized such as Wellbutrin (bupropion) an NDRI-
Antidepressant are a form of pharmacotherapy treatment developed to treat the symptoms of major depression. Antidepressants are used for many other types of conditions including anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, dysthymia, eating disorders, sleeping disorders, and substance abuse, pain syndromes, gastrointestional disorders. Antidepressants usually require several weeks to notice significant effects. There are no antidepressants or any medication that is completely free of adverse effects. This article explains that the adverse effects of antidepressant can decrease compliance and slow down the rate of recovery. It is important for one to take note of potential side-effects before choosing the best antidepressant to suit their personalized needs. Statistics show that about 28 percent of patients sto...
Antidepressants are FDA approved drugs given to patients to alleviate symptoms, most commonly anxiety and depression. There are many people who are skeptical about the use of these drugs and if they really work as a benefit toward the people taking them. There are many pros to taking the medications, but there are also cons. This is why users of these drugs have to be aware of the side effects in order to get the full use of the medicine. Research shows that the benefits of antidepressants outweigh the negative long term effects, but only if they are taken in moderation.
What is a depressant? Many individuals would give an answer such as a substance that depresses one’s mood. Although on the right path, depressants reduce functional or nervous activity; an example is alcohol. Alcohol, when excessively consumed, will result “in slurred speech, unsteady movement, disturbed perceptions, and an inability to react quickly” (What is Alcohol, 2014, para.1). In other words, the beverage totally recalibrates a human’s judgment of his actions and thought processes. Because of the knowledge about alcohol, states throughout the country construct federal laws mandating the consumption or sale of liquor. These requirements protect people from hazardous activities and health concerns. Unfortunately, by regulating legislative
What is a depressant? It is defined as substances that slow down the normal function of the central nervous system. The drugs that are considered as depressants are alchol and barbiturates. Their are many resons as to why people tend to take depressants some do it to reduce tensions, to forget their problems or troubles or to relieve feelings of lonliness or boredome (Morris&Maistro). As I was doing my research their was one depressant that continued to pop up and is the most common one of all of them ALCOHOL.
Alcohol: The drug name is ethyl alcohol, used in beer, to liquor and wine. This is only swallowed. It mainly causes mild stimulation, lowered inhibitions, drowsiness, emotional volatility, impaired memory, loss of consciousness, euphoria and etc.. This drug also leads to many other health risks. Example, liver and heart disease, depression, neurologic deficits and addiction.
Physical: Routinely consuming vast amounts of alcohol has a disastrous effect on a person's physical health. In the short term over consumption of alcohol can dehydrate the skin, cause nausea, vomiting and headaches, another effect is severe disorientation and memory loss. Constantly abusing
(Drugs and the Nervous System) If drugs are not used properly it can be very fatal. Some people think it’s a good idea to combined drugs. If you combined a drug it can result in slow breathing, slow heart rate, and a slow respiratory system. (Central Nervous System) Some drugs, like alcohol, can be absorbed in the blood, which can cause a larger effect.
Heavy drinking can also take a toll on the liver, leading to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including: Steatosis, Alcoholic hepatitis, Fibrosis, and Cirrhosis. Additionally, drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk of developing certain cancers such as mouth, esophagus, throat, liver, and breast. Last, but not least, drinking too much can weaken your immune system, making your body a much easier target for
Ethyl alcohol or ethanol, or most often known simply as alcohol, can come in the form of beer, wine, or liquor. A depressant affects the central nervous system, although many would believe it to be a stimulant. Many people get more energetic and stimulated, but this is only because alcohol affects parts of the brain that control judgment. The stimulant effect of alcohol actually amounts to depression of self-control.... ...
Treatment for depression includes medicine, psychotherapy, and electroconvulsive therapy. If someone is thinking about suicide or is very depressed and cannot function, they need to be admitted into a hospital. Antidepressants are medicines used to treat depression. They help bring the chemicals in the brain to the normal level and relieve syndromes. If the patient feels as though the medication isn’t working, their doctor should be called. However, if you feel so, you shouldn’t change them on your own without the permission of the doctor. Psychotherapy is to help you understand why you’re feeling the way you are.
Drugs are chemicals that change the way a person's body or mind works. Drugs are not good for health as they have many side effects and damage our brain, heart and other important organs. Drug is a depressant that slows down the functions of the central nervous system and makes us less aware of the events around us. I...
Alcohol has harmful effects on the brain by interfering with the brains pathways. The consumption of alcohol can affect how the brain works, which can cause a change in the behavior and even the mood of a person. It also largely affects the coordination and long term memory of a user. Alcohol acts as a depressant and therefore slows down the rate of brain functions. The heart is at risk for damage as well. Alcohol can cause cardiomyopathy, which is the stretching of heart muscles or Arrhythmias which causes an irregular heartbeat. Because the heart takes such a toll when dealing with alcoholism there is an increased risk of stroke and high blood pressure. The pancreas is also at risk of damage, for instance the production of toxic substanc...